— Wn401Place d'Inglemare (StP Fermanville)
WN · K.V.U. Gruppe Cherbourg Land · AOK 7 Normandy · France
Wn401 Place d'Inglemare (StP Fermanville)
A visit with the owners permission.
Wn401 Place d'Inglemare (StP Fermanville)
Wn401 Place d'Inglemare (StP Fermanville)
A 1947 air photo of Place d'Inglemare and it shows a comp;etely different house. A more castle like structure. It could have been a mock 19th century castle cum house. The smaller pictures show how it has changed over the years.
Geoportail 1947
Wn401 Place d'Inglemare (StP Fermanville)
1 x Small section of infantry.
1 x M.G. Stand.
1 x Geschützstellung.
1 x Heavy machine gun.
1 x 7.5cm type howitzer.
03 April 2011
Wn401 Place d'Inglemare (StP Fermanville)
To start with you have K.V.Gruppe Cherbourg, that is sub divided into K.V.U.Gruppe Cherbourg See (here numbered in the 200 range.) And then you have K.V.U.Gruppe Cherbourg Land (here numbered in the 400 range). Cherbourg Land basically is every position (Wn/StP) used in the land defence ring of Cherbourg. Wn's401 to 405 come under StP Fermanville and are clustered around the small hamlet of Mont Varin. Wn401 has quite a few defences but Wn403 to Wn405 may only have had group bunkers as barracks and very little else.
German army map of the defences
Wn401 Place d'Inglemare (StP Fermanville)
Yellow - The area we are in at the moment.
Red - The Cherbourg outer defence ring.
SHM
Wn401 Place d'Inglemare (StP Fermanville)
Yellow - The 400 series Wn/StP's.
Red - The 500 series Wn/StP's.
The 400 series was the outer ring and the 500 series the flak, radar, artillery, road blocks, HQ and forts.
Uncoloured the 200 series that is the K.V.U.Gruppe Cherbourg see (Sea) defences.
German army map of the defences
Wn401 Place d'Inglemare (StP Fermanville)
This could have been a defended position as it still has a few Eisenpfahel (Iron pile) post left around. They had a base plate. A hole could be dug, the square base plate put in it, the hole filled and the post is very well fitted into the ground. These posts were specifically designed for barbed wire and also if turned upside down with the plate at the top. A light could sit on it and with a directional beam, you could find your way around.
03 April 2011
Wn401 Place d'Inglemare (StP Fermanville)
The first thing we came upon was a machine gun slit through the hedge row.
03 April 2011
Wn401 Place d'Inglemare (StP Fermanville)
Then another view of it from outside.
03 April 2011
Wn401 Place d'Inglemare (StP Fermanville)
We met the owner of the property and he invited us in for a look.
03 April 2011
Wn401 Place d'Inglemare (StP Fermanville)
A covered trench.
03 April 2011
Wn401 Place d'Inglemare (StP Fermanville)
Trench position.
03 April 2011
Wn401 Place d'Inglemare (StP Fermanville)
Trench position.
03 April 2011
Wn401 Place d'Inglemare (StP Fermanville)
M.G. embrasure.
03 April 2011
Wn401 Place d'Inglemare (StP Fermanville)
M.G. embrasure.
The owner viewing the embrasure.
03 April 2011
Wn401 Place d'Inglemare (StP Fermanville)
The old wall used as the main defence.
03 April 2011
Wn401 Place d'Inglemare (StP Fermanville)
1 x Geschützstellung - Gun emplacement.
The gun would have had a good 120° arc of fire, if not more and could have covered the beach around to the main road.
03 April 2011
Wn401 Place d'Inglemare (StP Fermanville)
1 x Geschützstellung - Gun emplacement.
Base made of concrete and a steel ring, maybe a iron tyre from a wooden wagon wheel laid on top and filled with concrete. Then a field gun could sit with its wheels on the concrete base and the be able to be moved around in a circle on the base.
03 April 2011
Wn401 Place d'Inglemare (StP Fermanville)
1 x Geschützstellung - Gun emplacement.
Ammunition ready niches.
03 April 2011
Wn401 Place d'Inglemare (StP Fermanville)
We did not get a good look at this position, but it does look like a guard post, defended position.
03 April 2011
Wn401 Place d'Inglemare (StP Fermanville)
A closer view of the walled position. This looks exactly like the position at Wn203.
03 April 2011
